KEENE FAMILY HISTORY and GENEALOGY By ELIAS JONES BALTIMORE. MD. 1923. PRIIAS Of' KOHN AN0 POI.LOCK. INC. BAI.TIMOIIII. MD. Copyright 1923, by ELIAS JONES All riirhta reserved .', ,. .. ~ '~-- - ... -. u··.· :, ; )t-- 'it i Jln~~.... -~ .,_ /4~\... ,l,.l.,,!ii~ ~~ 1'1IHF., '. -~a,p= Keene.. ARl\IS: Ermine three crescents gules CREST: A griffin's head proper (From collection of Mrs. Hester Dorsey Richardson, author of Side-Lights on Mai-yland History) PREFACE The Holy Bible records that Family History was begun to be written quite early by man, who did not make full family lines, except for male descent, which has ever left a perplexing an~ unanswerable question: "Who was Cain's wife?" and many other men's wives. In this age of equality in sexes in civil rights woman rightfully shares an equal consideration with man. A complete genealogy of all the people is one great need. of the pres­ ent day, which active co-operation of people and state can readily make. Old genealogical lines could be largely and usefully amended if the people would consent to honor their dead kindred by giving their names, now moulding and decaying away in old family Bibles, and other privat~ family records, for publication and preservation in book­ let form for private uses and public libraries as this book is being published by the author. ELIAS JONES. ILLUSTRATIONS Arms, Keene Sir Benjamin Keene, K. B. Right Rev. Edmund Keene, D. D. Thomas Henry Keene of L. and son, Wm. Eugene Eliza Emory Keene (Travers) Keene Eliza Emory (Travers) Keene ("At Home" Card) Home of John Keene (of Richard) on "Clark's Out- hold" Field View on "Clark's Manor" Farm "Judge" Levi D. Travers Daughters of Levi D. and (Prudence) Travers Mrs. Prudence (Spedden) Travers and Daughter Travers Arms Captain Andrew Jackson Gwynn, of South Carolina Mrs. Marie Louise (Keene) Gwynn, of South Carolina Andrew Keene Gwynn, Priest Mahl on Keene of Benj. Richard Rayna! Keene Eleonora Martin Greenup Keene, of Samuel Young Keene Robert Wilmot Keene Dr. Wm. Billingsley Keene Alexander Keene Richards (child) Alexander Keene Richards Mrs. Eleonora (Keene) Richards Mrs. Maria Watkins Fauntleroy Warren Judge William Monroe Warren Clement William Nelson Mrs. Agnes Kenny Nelson Webster Victor Moreau Kenney Mrs. Mary Hunter (Interment) Mr. William Warren (Interment) Mrs. Maria Watkins Fauntleroy Warren (Funeral) Lieut. Grant Milner Webster Mrs. Agnes Fauntleroy Warren, Kenney COLLABORATORY To people and places I am largely indebted for infor­ mation personally given to me, or for copied records obtained from official sm~rces, for the compilation of this volume of family history and genealogy, both whom and which I am pleased to mention, not in the order of pref­ erence, but as on a parallel plane, where a unit may sus­ tain a numeral, as follows: Hon. James S. Shepherd, Commissioner of the Land Office; residence, Cambridge, Md.; Fred. J. Dunn, Clerk of Dorchester County Court; Edwin S. Lake, Chief Deputy Clerk Dorchester County Court; Miss Nannie Chew Lecompte, Cambridge, Md.; Arthur K. Austin, Cambridge, Md.; Wm. W. Harrington, Madison, Md.; Duncan L. Noble, Taylors Island, Md.; Mrs. Adele Keene Bosley Noble, Taylors Island, Md.; Mr. Wm. Eugene Keene, Taylors Island, Md.; Mrs. Bertha Evelyn Keene Spicer, Mr. Earle Roland Keene and Miss Emma Rosalie Keene, Golden Hill, Md.; Mr. Arthur Tra­ der, Chief Clerk Land Commissioner's Office, Annapolis, Md.; Mrs. Hester Dorsey Richardson, author of "Side­ Lights" on Maryland history, Baltimore, Md.; Mrs. Frank Philip Scrivener, Baltimore, Md.; Miss Lucy H. Harrison, Baltimore, Md.; Mr. Robert F. Hayes, Jr., Librarian, Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Md.; Mr. Charles Fickus, Assistant Librarian, Maryland Historical Society; Mr. Francis B. Culver, Baltimore, Md.; Mrs. Nannie Keene Craig, Ghent, Ky.; Mrs. Watterson Showalter, Georgetown, Ky.; Mrs. John E. Pack, Georgetown, Ky.; Miss Frances Wallace Keene, Webster Grove, Mo.; Mrs. Clement W. Nelson, St. Louis, Mo.; Mrs. Eleonora Keene Swartz, New Orleans, La.; Fauntleroy, Dickens; Mrs. Charles G. Goldsborough, New York, N. Y.; Miss Florence L. Sawyer, Fort Worth, Texas; Col. Oswald Tilghman, Easton, Md. Old newspaper files examined: "Republican-Star," "Easton Star," Easton, Md.; "Maryland Gazette;" "The Baltimore American;" "The Baltimore Sun." Places visited for record information: Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Calvert, Caroline, Dorchester, Harford, Kent, Queen Anne's, Wicomico and Baltimore City Courts ; Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania historical societies, and a hundred private homes too numerous to personally mention (including little hamlets of the dead, reposing sleepers, around whom we reverentially tread to note who are the silent homekeepers). ELIAS JONES. DIVISION ONE Early English History. CHAPTER I. NAME OF KEENE-ORIGIN Keene, along with its variants, Keen, Keene, Kean, Kene and Keyne, is a nickname from the adjective, keen. This is the Anglo-Saxon cene, fierce, bold, warlike. The Dutch cognate is Koen; the Old High German, choni and chuoni; the Old Norse, Koenn. The Old Norse has only· the mean ..... the "expert, skillful, clever, wise." Assuming this to be the original sense of the word, eti­ mologists generally connect it with our ken and can, both primarily meaning "know." One of the earliest instances of this word in English is that in "The Battle of Maldon:" (1.215), written about 993: Nu meag cunnian hwa cene sy. Non may I put to the test who are Keen. About 1386 Dan Chaucer wrote in "The Monk's Tale" (C. T. 1759 ff): Cenobia, of Palymerie queen, So worthy was in armes, and so Keene, That no Wight passed hire in hardynesse. The adjective took on many additional meanings during the surname period, such as mighty, strong, eager, sharp, quick, cruel, harsh, proud, insolent, etc. In some instances the surname may have been due to the possession of qualities expressed by one or more of these adjectives, as at least five of them became common surnames. The analogies quick, snell, sharp, etc., how­ ever, favor the meanings we have illustrated above as the prevailing origin of the name. The form found on the Hundreds Rolls appears to be uniformly "leKene." 12 KEENE FAMILY HISTORY As at least one "de Kyne" is found in the early records, it is possible that some of the present Keenes are bearing his surname of territorial origin. This is derived from the parish of St. Keyne, in Cornwall, which has its name from Ceneu (later spellings Keyna and Kayne), the sainted' recluse of Keynsham, in Somerset. This Welsh maiden was the daughter of Brychan of Brycheiniog and was consecrated to God in her youth. She left her home­ land, crossed the Severn and made her abode in a wood which was uninhabitable by reason of the many serpents there.. By prayer she changed these into stones. She spent some years there and her memory was greatly hon­ ored on both sides of the Severn for centuries afterward. She died about 600, but her name is still perpetuated in that of the Cornish parish St. Keyne and that of the seat of her work, Keynsham. Her name Ceneu means "whelpJ puppy." The dog figures largely in Celtic names. The old Cymric cenou, Brenton Canau, Irish and Pictish cana were all used as personal names and enter into vari­ ous compounds used as names. KEENES IN U. S. IN 1790 (U. S. Census Report) There were nine spellings of the name: Keene Kean Keane Keene Keen'.( Keign Kein Keine Kene KEENE FAMILY HISTORY 13 The average size of a household was 5.5. There were 162 Heads of Families and 735 other members-897 per­ sons in all. The heads of families were living in the followin~ States: Maine .................. 27 heads of families Massachusetts ........•.. 30 " " " Rhode Island ............ 2 " " " New York .............. 13 " " " Pennsylvania ............ 45 " " " Maryland ............... 19 " " " Virginia ................ 17 " " " North Carolina .......... 14 " " " South Carolina .......... 5 " " " 162 KEENE HERALDRY Kene (Norfolk and Suffolk), ar. a talbot sa. charged on his sinister shoulder with a trefoil, slipped, or on a chief indented, az. three cross crosslets, of the third. Crest, a hind's head, erased, ar. pellette, charged with a trefoil or. Kene (Sartson, Norfolk) ar. a talbot, passant sa. eared and collared, or, to the collar a ring of the second, on a chief indented, az. three cross crosslets of the third. Crest, hind's head, erased, ar. gorged with a collar gu. charged with three bezants, to the collar a ring or. Kene, erm. a cross flory, sa. Kene (IPswich, SUFFOLK) az. a talbot, passant, or, on a chief ar. three cross crosslets sa. Crest, a hind's head or, pellette. Kene, erm. across flowered ermines. Kene, errn. across flowered sa. 14 KEENE FAMILY HISTORY Kenn (Langford, Somersetshire) erm'. three crescents gu. Crest, three crescents interwoven ar. Keene, gu. a cross crosslet erm. KEnne (Kenne, Somersetshire) , erm. three crescents gu. Crest, a unicorn's head az, bezantee, maned or, horn or and sa. (Granted 1561.) Kein (Hethelry, Scotland), gu. a gauntlet, in fesse, or, on a chief ar. three stars of the first. Kein (North Cove, and Thandeston, Suffolk), az a tal­ bot, passant, or on a chief indented ar. three crosses florysa. Crest, a hind's head, erased sa. bezantee. (Granted by Harvey, Clarencieux, 3d May, 1562.) (See vols. 1-2, Berry Heraldry, Glover's Ordinary of Arms.) (See "Croeees ?" p. 167. Erm. a cross, patonee, ermine. Crest, a bundle of arrows, banded gu. sticks or . Keen. P 168, Erm. across flory, ermines; ..... Kene.) Keene. Crest, beryth to his crest, a sheaf of arrows, silver, a gyrdel sable in a wreath ar, g, g. or. (See the "Ancestor," No. 12.) . CHAPTER II. REFERENCE TO SOME OLD DISTINGUISHED KEENE FAMILIES IN ENGLAND RUCK KEENE OF SWYNCOMBE HOUSE Charles Edmund Ruck Keene of Swyncombe House, County Oxford, Captain Royal Fusiliers, late Shropshire Light Infantry, born 10th February, 1861; married, 1898, Olive Lillian, daughter of Charles William Lambe Forbes, and has had issue: Charles Edmund, born 13th October, 1899; died 10th July, 1900.